Halloween parties are always fun no matter the age group they’re designed for, the location, or even the theme. That said, adult Halloween parties are very different from those meant for children, and they present tons of possibilities that just can’t be implemented with minor attendees.
From signature cocktails to murder mystery cases and pumpkin carving contests, many elements can be planned to host a great gathering with friends during this amazing time of year. Here are 9 tips for an unforgettable Halloween party for adults.
Prepare Signature Halloween Cocktails
Having a wide assortment of drinks for your guests to choose from not only helps add more decorative elements to your party but will also intrigue anyone who walks past the drinks table. Cocktails like the Witch’s Heart and the Alien Brain Haemorrhage have a very fitting look for a Halloween party and are very easy to make.
Image SourceHere are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Blackberry Shimmery Liqueur
- 1 cup vodka
- 6 blackberries
- ¼ cup simple syrup
- ¼ tsp purple luster dust
For the cocktail (2 servings)
- 3 oz blackberry shimmery liqueur
- 1.5 oz apple juice or apple liqueur
- 1 oz lemon juice
- ¾ oz simple syrup
- 2 tsp grenadine
- Ice
- Optional: dry ice for smoky effect
Alien Brain Haemorrhage:
- 2 part Peach schnapps
- 1 part Bailey’s Irish cream
- 1 dash Grenadine
- 1 dash Blue Curaçao
Organise a Costume Contest
Halloween costume contests are always a hit as they allow attendees to show off their hard work and get the appreciation they deserve. A good way to switch things up is to create categories around the contest, such as “creepiest costume”, “best makeup”, “scariest couple”, and so on.
Having a trophy of some sort to reward your guests is a great idea, as it will not only make them feel special, but also add another layer of fun competition to the mix. If you’re looking for a high-quality costume that will impress your guests and give you a head start in the competition, you can check out the wide selection we have available.
Plan a Murder Mystery Case
Whoever said Whodunnits are overrated clearly never played them right. A Halloween get-together is ideal for hosting a Murder Mystery case with all your friends and neighbours.
While something like this requires a decent amount of planning to create a complex story with interesting suspects, the payoff is huge and will certainly keep everyone entertained for a long time. Your guests could form teams of two or three to investigate the murder area and gather clues to try to identify the murderer.
And given that people will most likely already be wearing a costume, you don’t have to worry about that part!
Prepare Creepy Snacks
Having Halloween-themed drinks is great, but having creepy-looking snacks to pair them with is even better. You can prepare a selection of both sweet and savoury treats for your guests that will not only keep hunger at bay but also dazzle them with their quirky designs.
Chocolate Pretzel Webs and Zombie fingers, for example, are great ideas for serving your guests with a nice treat to offset their sweet tooth.
Image SourceAdd Black Light & Glow to Your Decorations
Halloween decorations are meant to be placed in a dark environment, there’s no two ways about it. You can use the creepiest decorations and put your heart into making everything look like it came straight out of a nightmare—if the environment is well-lit, you’ll have a hard time getting the effect you want.
By keeping your party area dim enough that guests can still see where they’re going, but not enough that every corner of the room is visible, you can incorporate backlight-reactive elements that will glow in the dark, such as white spider webs. You can even add fake blood stains that appear under direct backlight to make the room look like a crime scene.
Set up a DIY Potion-Making Bar
Setting up a table with prepared drinks for your guests is a nice touch that people will appreciate; however, there are times when people want to drink something in specific, and this is your chance to offer them a potion-making bar. You can add a wide assortment of different spirits and make creative, creepy or disgusting labels for them.
For example, Vodka could be troll sweat, and Irish Cream could be witch’s pimple pus. Your guests can craft any drink of their choice and give it a name for other people to try. Whoever makes the most delicious drink and uses the most creative name gets a prize.
Create a Halloween Playlist Weeks in Advance
Halloween and horror, in general, have not only inspired an endless number of movies, series, and themes but also incredible songs that are straight-up bangers. By creating your Halloween playlist two or three weeks in advance, you’ll ensure that you have enough songs to last the entire party.
You can also make the playlist public and share it with your guests so they can help you add any songs they like. This not only makes it more likely for the playlist to be a hit, but it will also save you a lot of time and effort, as you won’t be creating it on your own.
Host a Pumpkin Carving Contest
Just like Christmas has gingerbread men, Halloween has pumpkins, as they’re one of the most iconic elements of this amazing time of the year. While Jack-o’-lanterns were originally made to ward off evil spirits in the Gaelic festival of Samhain, they’re now used as a nice piece of decor.
Your adult Halloween party is the perfect opportunity to organise a pumpkin carving contest with all your guests. Whoever carves the best pumpkin (the scariest one, or the one that’s more creative or more detailed) gets a prize of your choosing.
If you don’t want to spend too much money, you could ask anyone who wants to participate to bring their own pumpkin.
Hire a Photo Booth With Props
While living in the moment is great, human memory isn’t as reliable as a photograph, so if you want to immortalize your adult Halloween-themed party, consider hiring a photo booth for you and your guests to strike a pose!
You can make different Halloween props such as Jason Voorhees masks, Freddy Krueger’s claws, and different creepy paraphernalia for your guests to use in their photos.
Unfortunately, photo booths aren’t cheap, so if you want to get one, be ready to spend a few hundred quid.
Plan an Unforgettable Halloween Party for Adults
As you can see, planning a memorable Halloween party that will have your friends and acquaintances talking about it for weeks isn’t too difficult. Granted, there’s considerable planning and prepping involved, but it will all be worth it when the big day comes.
Here at MadAboutHorror, we have everything you need to decorate your house and dress as your favourite character for Halloween. Make sure to visit our Homepage to explore our offerings. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us. We’re open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.
